Black Prayer
| rarity = Uncommon | type = Combat Enchantment | combat_casting_cost = | research_cost = | effects = Every enemy unit on the battlefield suffers the following penalties: * '-1' to all Attack Strengths (except for ); * Defense; * Resistance. }} Black Prayer is an Uncommon Combat Enchantment of the Realm. It may only be cast during combat, for a basic Casting Cost of . As long as this spell is in effect on the battlefield, each and every enemy unit suffers a number of small, but nonetheless significant penalties. They lose 1''' point each from all of their conventional Attack Strengths and , and their is reduced by points. Black Prayer lasts until the end of the battle or until it is dispelled. It does not carry over to the overland map, and thus has no Upkeep Cost. Effects Black Prayer engulfs all enemy units in dark energy, which weakens them both physically and spiritually. This results in a small, yet significant drop in the enemy army's effectiveness and, more importantly, makes all opposing units more susceptible to Unit Curses and other ill effects. Attack Strength Penalty While Black Prayer is in effect, each and every enemy unit possessing any Conventional Damage attack loses '''1 point from the strength of all such attacks. This applies equally to ; , , and Attack Strengths; and ; and even the Conventional component of Gaze Attacks, hidden or otherwise. However, it does not affect , although this type is only dealt by the Immolation ability, and actual spells cast by units. This reduction means that the unit has one less die to use on its Attack Rolls, reducing both its potential- and, as a result, average output. Naturally, this effect is more severe the more and Attack Types a unit has; but it also has an additional consequence in the original game. Should one of a unit's Attack Strengths be reduced to 0''' as a result of Black Prayer, the unit will no longer be able to execute "added effects" with that attack. This not only applies to Touch Attacks, such as Poison Touch, but also most Gaze Attacks as well, as an undocumented feature of these is that they are performed alongside an otherwise hidden Conventional Damage attack. Since this attack normally has a strength of only , it usually goes unnoticed, until it is reduced to , at which point the Gaze Attack stops working altogether. This is true for all Gaze units in the game except for the , whose Special Damage attacks are instead attached to its Conventional Doom Gaze instead, which has a base Attack Strength of . Since this behaviour is widely regarded as a bug rather than a feature, it is changed in the Unofficial Patch 1.50 such that "added effects" get executed even if the attack they are affixed to has a strength of '''0. Defense Penalty While Black Prayer is in effect, each and every enemy unit loses off its Defense score. This decreases both their potential- and average Conventional Damage reduction, as they have one less die to use on their Defense Rolls. However, this effect can not reduce a unit's score below - it will simply be ignored in that case. In fact, this limitation applies before, and independently of any conditional modifiers to . For example, a (base score of ) afflicted with Black Prayer would still have against the Melee Attacks of a creature if it was also under the effect of a Unit Enchantment (which grants a conditional ). Resistance Penalty While Black Prayer is in effect, each and every enemy unit suffers a penatly of to its Resistance score. As a result, they become more susceptible to Unit Curses and other ill effects, including nearly all attacks that deal Special Damage. This is often considered Black Prayer's most important effect, as it increases the chance of success for other magic spells and Special Attacks later on in the battle - which this Realm has in great abundance. Usage Black Prayer may only be cast during combat, for a basic Casting Cost of . If the casting is successful, the spell's icon will appear in one of the enchantment windows at the bottom of the screen, underneath the name of the Wizard whose side has cast the spell (left or right depending on whether it is cast by the defending or attacking force). Black Prayer will then start exerting its effect immediately, and remains active until the end of the battle, or until it is dispelled. Since it does not carry over to the overland map, the spell has no Upkeep Cost. Acquisition As an Uncommon Spell of the Realm, Black Prayer may become available to any Wizard who acquires at least Spellbook. With none, the spell can naturally not be learned during the campaign. This is the minimum requirement for it to be traded for, appear in Treasure, or be found in the spoils of victory when conquering the Fortress of a rival Wizard who already knows it. The base chance for Black Prayer to be researchable (at some point) in the campaign is roughly 10% (with book), which gradually increases with the amount of Spellbooks possessed or found during gameplay. With or more, the spell is certain to show up sooner or later, unless acquired from another source. It has a Research Cost of , although its research is quicker for Wizards possessing the Sage Master Retort, or a bookshelf containing or more. Black Prayer may also be selected as a starting spell by players who allocate all of of their picks into books when creating their Wizard. In this case, it will be available for casting as soon as the game begins. In addition, Black Prayer is available as a Hero spell. It is known by Morgana the Witch, although it's worth noting that this feature is bugged in the latest official version of the game, and Black Prayer is one of the few affected spells. This means that Morgana will likely not be able to actually access this spell unless the player installs one of the unofficial patches. Even then, she can't cast it at her initial level either. She needs to become at least a (level 4), become a (level 3) if one of her Random Abilities grants extra , or otherwise equip Magical Items to gain enough to use Black Prayer. Strategy Casting Black Prayer will instantly reduce the combat effectiveness of all enemy units on the battlefield, making it easier to win the battle. The low '-1' penalties to the various attributes may seem very small, but they can be quite significant considering that the entire enemy army suffers this simultaneously. Therefore, Black Prayer is best cast when the opposing force is large - the more enemy units there are, the more cost-effective this spell becomes. This is even more true if the opponent is fielding , as both the Attack Strength and Defense penalties apply on a per- basis, not to mention several Special Damage effects, such as , or . Black Prayer is one of only a few ways to bring the Resistance score of a unit below the treshold of to make it possible to affect them with ill effects. In addition, as a Combat Enchantment, it can not be resisted, and no enemy unit is exempt from it, even those possessing Death- or Magic Immunity. Because of this, Black Prayer has a good synergy with all spells from every Realm, not just those of . Because of the way Gaze Attacks are implemented in the official game, Black Prayer can completely nullify the Stoning Gaze of enemy and encountered outside of the enhancement aura of a . This can then only be reversed by dispelling Black Prayer. It can also negate the Death Gaze of , although in this case only if the effect is not also in play. Category:Combat Enchantments Category:Death